Jamie Lloyd’s smash-hit West End production of Much Ado About Nothing is transferring to Broadway, starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell.
The show will premiere at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway this autumn for a strictly limited run. Preview performances are scheduled to begin Saturday, October 31 and will play through Sunday, January 10, 2027 only.
Directed by Olivier Award winner Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard, Romeo & Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing was a huge hit last year at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, featuring Marvel stars Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) and Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) as Shakespeare’s sparring lovers, Benedick and Beatrice.
Who’s in the cast of Much Ado About Nothing?
Also reprising their roles in Much Ado About Nothing alongside Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell are Mara Huf (The Tempest, Tetris) as Hero, Mika Onyx Johnson (Cyrano de Bergerac, As You Like It) as Borachio, Gerald Kyd (The Seagull, The Deep Blue Sea) as Don Pedro, Forbes Masson (The Tempest, The Crown) as Leonato, Phillip Olagoke (Romeo & Juliet, The Glass Menagerie) as Friar Francis, Mason Alexander Park (Oh, Mary!, Cabaret) as Margaret, James Phoon (Bridgerton, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) as Claudio, and Tim Steed (The Tempest, Jack Absolute Flies Again) as Don John.
The Creative Team
The design team for Much Ado About Nothing includes Standard Theatre Award winner and Tony Award nominee Soutra Gilmour (scenic & costume design), two-time Tony Award winner Jon Clark (lighting design), multiple Olivier and Tony Award nominees Ben and Max Ringham (sound designers & composers), Olivier Award winner Fabian Aloise (choreographer), Jon Glew (UK associate director & text editor), Stuart Burt, CDG (UK casting director), Jim Carnahan, CSA & Alexandre Bleau, CSA (US casting directors), Carole Hancock (hair, wigs & make-up), Kate Waters (fight director), Ingrid Mackinnon (intimacy coordinator) and Johnny Milani (production stage manager).
The creative team will also include Conner Wilson (US associate director), Charlie Martin (UK associate choreographer), Anna Josephs (associate costume design), Ricky Lurie (US assistant costume designer), Cheryl Thomas (US assistant hair, wigs, & make-up), Huw Evans (UK music supervisor), and Adam Rothenberg (US music supervisor).
Watch the Broadway trailer
Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Photo by Marc Brenner
Much Ado Awards & Acclaim
Much Ado About Nothing garnered a number of five-star reviews from London’s theatre critics, including from the Guardian, Telegraph, TimeOut, Evening Standard and more.
The London production has also been nominated for four awards at this year’s Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards, including best director, designer and performers.
Also, in November the show was nominated for four Standard Theatre Awards, the most of any production, including Best Director for Lloyd, Best Actor for Hiddleston, and Best Actress for Atwell.
Much Ado About Nothing – Broadway. Tom Hiddleston (Photo by Steve Schofield), Hayley Atwell (Photo by Faye Thomas), Jamie Lloyd (Photo by Kai D. Fan)
The Jamie Lloyd Company
Jamie Lloyd’s theatre company recently completed a Broadway run of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
Last summer Lloyd scored a huge hit in London with a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita starring Rachel Zegler as Eva Peron.
He also took his acclaimed London production of Sunset Boulevard to Broadway, starring Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond.
What They Said
Jamie Lloyd said in a statement: “Working with both Tom and Hayley again on Much Ado About Nothing at the Drury Lane was exhilarating. The chemistry between the two of them was palpable from the first rehearsal and I could sense it was a magical pairing for the ages. It’s an honor to bring their joyous performances in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy to Broadway this fall.”
Tom Hiddleston said: “For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to play ‘Benedick’ in Much Ado About Nothing. Working with Jamie Lloyd and Hayley Atwell on Shakespeare’s most warm-hearted play has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my performing life. I could not be more thrilled to bring this jubilant and joyous production to Broadway. Jamie Lloyd has anchored Shakespeare’s profoundly romantic poetry and comedy at the heart of this production, and decorated the play with music, dancing, love, and laughter. It’s an honor to have been invited back to the stage in New York”.
Hayley Atwell said: “After 20 years on the stages of London’s West End, it is a huge honor for me to be invited to make my Broadway debut playing ‘Beatrice’ in this electric production of Much Ado About Nothing. We’re thrilled new audiences will experience this story through Jamie’s innovative direction. This is a modern celebration of universal themes.”
Plan your next night out with our complete guide to West End shows currently playing in London.
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